We have a 2006 F-150 that has served us well, but we are going to begin the search for a new truck.

We have the 5.4 Triton motor, which has the infamous plugs, which have now been replaced twice, due to mileage.

She pulls a 2 horse bumper pull.

We are thinking she should probably buy a F-250.

We are going to look at used.

Has anyone ever bought a F-250 and then thought, gosh, I really wish I would have bought a F-150?

Should we be considering Chevy, GMC, Toyota or even Dodge?

Will likely pull the trigger in May/June.

I do not want this to turn into a Ford sucks or Chevy sucks, as it appears they all have some issues.

What do you have?

What do you tow?

Would you buy the same truck you have again?

Thank you.

I have an 01 ram 3/4 ton with the Cummins. Not once have i thought i had to much power. Had a few half tons back in the day. I always wanted more power when pulling a heavy load. Occasionally i rent a dump trailer to haul off stuff or carry rock. They require 3/4 ton minimum. Remember with a 3/4 ton you getting more than just a bigger motor and transmission. The brakes shoes on my rear are more than double the size of the same year 1/2 ton. Sure the maintenance is higher on a diesel, but i do it myself. Don't let that 6.0 ford scare you off. With a little work you can get a great deal on great truck.

My only regret is I wish i would have waited till i found a manual transmission.

Our tow vehicle is now a Dodge 2500 with a Cummins diesel. We've had both a Ford and a Chevy and will be sticking with the Cummins diesel for towing from here on out. I would go with the 3/4 ton for towing.

My company, which is the largest commercial concrete repair company in the US just switched to Chevy 2500 for all forenen 3 years ago. So far we have reduced mantinence and the trucks all perform well. The oldest truck in our fleet is a 2012 with 350k miles gas motor and still running strong.

How much does the trailer weigh? The trucks maximum tow rating and the total weight of your trailer should determine which truck to buy. My Toyota tundra tows just over 10000 lbs so I'd feel comfortable towing 8500 or 9000. If the F150 tow rating exceeds the weight of the trailer by at least a 1000 lbs go with the F150, if not go with the F250.

F-150 ecoboost would be a great compromise. I pull a 21 foot bass boat and an enclosed trailer and it pulls it with ease. The ecoboost is a torque monster and might be a good middle ground As it has great bottom end torque.

Take a look at the Tundra if the towing weight is within it's limits.

A half ton optimized to tow won't be too bad. One that is optimized to get to the mall not so much.

Personal expectations mean a lot. How important is it to accelerate smartly? Do you have mountainous terrain? Are you towing down unimproved roads? How many times a week or month or even year?

Might take this question to a trailer sales shop, they deal with people trucks and trailers all day every day.

Me, I'd lean towards a 3/4 gas engine. But I know my abilities and habits and me. I've towed 21,000 with a Bronco II, it was neither smart nor all that difficult. It was a farm thing, and I did it once about 20 miles, brakes, lord brakes don't fail me now. (They were near useless)

I know you mentioned used but you did not give us a budget.
There is a lot of difference between a used $10k truck and a used 50k truck...

Please update us and we may be able to help you better.
Also, what is the gross weight of the trailer fully loaded?

Some important points brought up already.
I tow a gooseneck for horses also.
3/4 ton heavy duty in many important points!
Factory towing options give you better engine and trans cooling, better brakes, trailer hookups, etc.
Many horse people are now using 1 ton SRW for even 2 horse trailers depending on terrain.
Whatever you are towing has to stop!
Lots of stress on the vehicle when towing!
Tire rating important, load range E!
I am using a 2000 dodge 3/4 ton, Cummins diesel, some engine and auto trans upgrades!
Remember that stopping is as/more important than starting and going!
4WD is nice for dirt, pasture, gravel, soft conditions encountered in many horse trailering situations.

I have a 3/4 ton pickup and a 1/2 ton suburban. I tow a small trailer with both of them, and the 3/4 ton makes a huge difference...both going and stopping. My trailer weighs less than what you are talking about, and I have often wished the suburban was 3/4 ton. I have never wished the truck was a 1/2 ton. I drive Chevys, but for serious pulling I'd go with a Ford every time. IME, Chevys are more reliable, easier to work on, and last longer, but the Ford gets the edge when it comes to power.

I would not haul horses with anything less than a 3/4 ton, even though it's "just" a 2-horse trailer. IMO anything lighter is not nearly as well up to the task, especially if you're doing it regularly.

I have been here long enough to know I should have provided more information. Sorry about that.

Trailer, 2 horses and tack = approx. 6000 lbs.

Max budget of $40,000.

Towed weekly, sometimes 25 minutes, other times 9+ hours. Typically 1-3 hour trip, each way.

Geographically, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama.

We bought the F-150 in 2009 and it has served us well, but our trailer is now a little larger/heavier and the F-150 is starting to show its age.

Thank you to the SIGforum brain trust for your recommendations.

 
I have personally owned two Dodges ('03 3500 and '05 2500) and one Ford ('04 250). My wife has owned an '06 Dodge, all diesels. She pulled a fifth wheel (whose pin maxed out the payload of the Dodge 2500, and which weighed 11k lbs) cross country twice with hers, and I drove it some. Long uphill grades were like there was no trailer at all, power-wise. I mostly bumper pulled utility trailers with mine. For your specs, a 3/4 ton (for the payload capacity) in a gasser would seem ideal. Diesel fuel is still higher here, don't know about where you are. But you don't really require what the diesel brings to the table, which is more pulling power, and the diesel adds a good bit to the price. The 3/4 ton would give you the extra payload. I have not really kept up with what the big 3 are offering in the way of gasoline engines for their work trucks, though.
 
Right now (and every winter), our little town is invaded by literally a couple thousand team ropers. It seems to have been adopted as the winter home for the sport. The national finals were held here the past two years. Most of their trailers are gooseneck, but there are plenty of tagalongs, too. Just driving around and paying attention to the tow vehicles, my informal estimate is about 40% each Dodge and Ford, and 20% GM, so that should give a good indication of what the horse people choose to use.
 
And then, of course, there are a few (with too much money), who show up with tow rigs like this (IIRC, a modified Freightliner):
 

 
 
Close up of the little round sign on the lower side panel:
 

 

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:
Trailer, 2 horses and tack = approx. 6000 lbs.

Max budget of $40,000.

Towed weekly, sometimes 25 minutes, other times 9+ hours. Typically 1-3 hour trip, each way.

Geographically, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama.

Based on those facts, no question 3/4 ton. Brand? You have a nice budget set. Do your research on DEF and the issues that come along with it. Dodge auto transmissions are awful. The Allison behind the Duramax is good stuff. Ford has a few motors that have trouble. None of the these are deal breakers just know what you are getting into. Some one mentioned a gas 3/4 ton. The Chevy 6.0 is a heck of a motor. It has been around for awhile. It buns gasoline just sitting in the driveway!

Around here we call that a "baby freight" Sweet rig if you have the cash.

I have draft horses. We use a 18 foot Eby bumper pull livestock trailer.

I have had an F350 diesel, and replaced it with a 2003 F350 with the V10. Just bought a 2016 F150 V8. The F150 will easily tow the trailer with 3 tons of grain aboard, for a total of 9,000 lbs. The F150 when properly equipped is rated over 11,000 pounds. When not pulling a trailer I get about 22 MPG on the highway. The factory F150 brake controller has stability control features, and works great.

I don't drive enough to pay for a diesel. And DEF is a bad idea......

It sounds like you're trailering a pretty fair amount.

The 3/4 ton trucks bring some nice things to the game. Brakes that are sized up, meaning you won't be replacing linings as often plus more capacity. Likely to find used with things like extended mirrors, brake controllers, lower gears, better cooling.

Think hard and research before you go diesel, there are great benefits if you are a gear head sort, or financially able to take care of it. They are strong enough to plain break shit if you don't pay attention. All systems are upgraded, and when they fail, and they will, it is not pretty. Not really suited to frequent short trips, if that is expected. Oil, fuel system maintenance is surprisingly expensive.

Pleasure horse vs Clydesdale, if you don't need a Clydesdale why would you feed one, and buy all the tack and upgrade the entire barn to house it. But there isn't much substitute if it's what you need.

Short answer: Never too much power.

While a half ton has plenty of power to pull 6k, once you've gotten used to how a 3/4 ton pulls that rig, you'll never say 'I should have gone with the half ton'.
I pull trailers from 500lb to about the same size as yours on an irregular basis. My GMC 1/2 ton does ok with any of them and I'm not going far, but you notice the bigger ones. If I grab one of the F250s from the farm to pull the larger ones, the difference is night & day. IF I was pulling anything weekly, I'd have a 3/4 ton, even if it was a gasser.
And horse trailers never shrink.